Compost from wood chips

Question

Last year I had 3 pine trees cut down in my yard due to safety concerns during inclement weather. These trees were healthy and disease free. After grinding the stumps I had piled the remaining wood chips from stump grinding into a pile. I placed lawn clippings, dead shrubs, on the pile. Coming back to this pile I have noticed it is beginning to compost, nearing a dark brown/blackish color.

Would it be safe to mix this inside a 5 gallon bucket for container gardening? Are there any chemicals present in pine that contribute to allelopathy that would harm vegetable plants?

Answer 1

It's not really a good idea to use it in containers or pots; potting grade composts/soils are produced using a hot, aerobic composting system, which kills off pathogens which may be present in the compost. Your description of your compost pile suggests it has rotted down via cold, anaerobic processes, so the level of heat generated is much lower, and pathogens may still be present. It's a very useful addition to garden soil though,because any pathogens will be spread out on open ground, not contained inside pots, and will cause no harm.

In respect of problems because the compost has been made using pine wood, that's not an issue, since there's no possibility the wood has been chemically treated prior to composting.